The Camino Portugués is a stunning pilgrimage through Northern Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Given the sights, culture, and history, it’s no surprise that thousands of pilgrims choose this route every year.
The Camino Frances made the Way of Saint James famous, but it’s not the only worthy path to Santiago de Compostela. The Portuguese Camino is a shorter walk offering stunning views along three diverse routes.
The Portuguese Camino offers pilgrims a 610 kilometer (Lisbon), 240 kilometer (Porto), or 100 kilometer (Tui) journey. The route from Porto is the most popular, and takes most pilgrims around two weeks.
The Portuguese Camino splits into three different routes in Porto, giving pilgrims the joy of choosing exactly what they want to see and experience on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Seen as the traditional Camino Portuguese route, the central Camino is the most historic route. While the Portuguese Camino technically begins in Lisbon, most pilgrims will join in Porto, making this the most popular route in Portugal.
What you’ll love:
Balance ocean vistas with historic stops on the Camino Portuguese Coastal Route. After an urban start leaving Porto, the Portuguese Coastal Camino shows pilgrims that there’s more to the coastline than just the beaches.
What you’ll love:
Here you see an incredibly charming side of Northern Portugal. For the first few days, you could forget waymarkers and use the ocean as your guide. This path hugs the Atlantic coast, offering days of undisturbed seaside walking.
What you’ll love:
All of the Portuguese Caminos pass through Porto and end in Santiago de Compostela, but there are actually three popular starting points to consider.
The entire Camino Portugués experience.
A lively and energetic Camino send-off.
The shortest walk that qualifies for a compostela.
While it’s the least common starting point, Lisbon starts off with big-city buzz and softens to offer a quaint and unique pilgrim experience.
What awaits you:
Deep exposure to Portugal’s culture
5+ UNESCO world heritage sites
Huge changes in the landscape
The Litoral, Central, and Coastal routes all go through Porto, which is perfect as you don’t want to miss this buzzing and beautiful Portuguese highlight.
What awaits you:
The most popular part of The Way
Convenient walking full of amenities
Exposure to both Portuguese and Spanish culture
At 119 km / 74 miles from Santiago de Compostela, Tui is the shortest section of the Portuguese Camino that you can walk while still collecting your certificate.
What awaits you:
There are certain iconic aspects of pilgrimage that you’ll recognize for the rest of your life after walking The Way. Learn about them now:
Joy, excitement, relief — the final stage of the Camino de Santiago has it all. Can you picture yourself arriving on the square having completed your journey? Look forward to these moments on your final day.
We weren’t long-distance walkers the first time we stepped on the Camino Portugués… but along The Way, something changed.
That first Camino inspired thousands of kilometers of pilgrimage, taking us to Santiago de Compostela many times, across Europe, and on Caminos with our families.
Walk the Camino Portugués (this website!) isn’t a tour company — just two pilgrims sharing their passion for the Portuguese Way and wishing aspiring pilgrims all over the world a buen camino.
